U.S. patent application number 14/473238 was filed with the patent office on 2014-12-18 for apparatus and method for self adhesive balancing weight liner removal.
The applicant listed for this patent is Wegmann automotive GmbH & Co. KG. Invention is credited to Hans-Ulrich BURGEL.
Application Number | 20140367050 14/473238 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46545263 |
Filed Date | 2014-12-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140367050 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
BURGEL; Hans-Ulrich |
December 18, 2014 |
Apparatus and Method for Self Adhesive Balancing Weight Liner
Removal
Abstract
An apparatus for removal of the liner of a self-adhesive
balancing weight is disclosed. A stripper wheel or stripper belt is
rotated in close proximity over the surface of a balancing weight,
and interacting with the liner and pulling the liner off from the
balancing weight by means of a plurality of teeth. The speed of the
stripper wheel or stripper belt is slightly higher than the speed
of motion of the balancing weight.
Inventors: |
BURGEL; Hans-Ulrich; (Roden,
DE) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Wegmann automotive GmbH & Co. KG |
Veitshochheim |
|
DE |
|
|
Family ID: |
46545263 |
Appl. No.: |
14/473238 |
Filed: |
August 29, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
PCT/EP2013/053593 |
Feb 22, 2013 |
|
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14473238 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
156/719 ;
156/759; 156/760; 156/767 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B32B 43/006 20130101;
Y10T 156/1956 20150115; Y10T 156/1994 20150115; G01L 11/025
20130101; F16F 15/32 20130101; B32B 38/10 20130101; Y10T 156/1174
20150115; G01M 1/326 20130101; G01M 1/02 20130101; Y10T 156/1195
20150115; Y10T 156/195 20150115 |
Class at
Publication: |
156/719 ;
156/759; 156/767; 156/760 |
International
Class: |
B32B 43/00 20060101
B32B043/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 20, 2012 |
EP |
12160444.1 |
Jul 13, 2012 |
EP |
12176445.0 |
Claims
1. Apparatus for removing a liner from a self-adhesive balancing
weight, the apparatus comprising: means for transporting the
balancing weight in a first direction; at least one stripper wheel
or stripper belt comprising a plurality of teeth and configured to
move in close proximity to the surface of the balancing weight such
that the plurality of teeth interact with the liner and pull the
liner away from the surface of the balancing weight.
2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the direction of
movement of the at least one stripper wheel or stripper belt is the
same as the first direction.
3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one
stripper wheel or stripper belt is configured to move at the same
as the speed as the means for transporting is configured to move
the balancing weight.
4. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one
stripper wheel or stripper belt is configured to move at a slightly
higher speed than the means for transporting is configured to move
the balancing weight.
5. Apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a pressure
roller configured to press the balancing weight to a surface
opposed to the stripper wheel or stripper belt.
6. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the means for
transporting comprises a belt conveyor configured to transport the
a balancing weight to the stripper wheel or stripper belt.
7. Method for removing a liner from a self-adhesive balancing
weight, the method comprising: transporting the balancing weight in
a first direction; applying at least one stripper wheel or stripper
belt comprising a plurality of teeth and moving in close proximity
to the surface of the balancing weight such that the plurality of
teeth interact with the liner and pull the liner away from the
surface of the balancing weight.
8. Method according to claim 7, wherein the direction of movement
of the at least one stripper wheel or stripper belt is the same as
the first direction.
9. Method according to claim 7, wherein the at least one stripper
wheel or stripper belt moves at the same speed as the balancing
weight.
10. Method according to claim 7, wherein the at least one stripper
wheel or stripper belt moves at a slightly higher speed than the
balancing weight.
11. Method according to claim 7, further comprising applying a
pressure roller to press the balancing weight to a surface opposed
to the stripper wheel or stripper belt.
12. Method according to claim 7, wherein the balancing weight is
transported by a belt conveyor for supplying a balancing weight to
the stripper wheel or stripper belt.
13. Apparatus for removing a liner from a self-adhesive balancing
weight, the apparatus comprising: a pulley or roller configured to
transport the balancing weight in a first direction; at least one
stripper wheel or stripper belt comprising a plurality of teeth and
configured to move in close proximity to the surface of the
balancing weight such that the plurality of teeth interact with the
liner and pull the liner away from the surface of the balancing
weight.
14. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the direction of
movement of the at least one stripper wheel or stripper belt is the
same as the first direction.
15. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the at least one
stripper wheel or stripper belt is configured to move at the same
as the speed as the pulley or roller is configured to move the
balancing weight.
16. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the at least one
stripper wheel or stripper belt is configured to move at a slightly
higher speed than the pulley or roller is configured to move the
balancing weight.
17. Apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising a pressure
roller configured to press the balancing weight to a surface
opposed to the stripper wheel or stripper belt.
18. Apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising a conveyor
belt configured to be moved by the pulley or roller to transport
the balancing weight to the stripper wheel or stripper belt.
Description
PRIORITY CLAIM
[0001] This application is a continuation of pending International
Application No. PCT/EP2013/053593 filed on 22 Feb. 2013, which
designates the United States and claims priority from European
Application No. 12160444.1 filed on Mar. 20, 2012 and European
Application No. 12176445.0 filed on Jul. 13, 2012, all of which are
incorporated by reference in their entireties.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The invention relates to methods and devices for dispensing
weights used in vehicle ballasting applications, in particular for
dispensing weights used in balancing automobile or other vehicle
wheels.
[0004] 2. Description of Relevant Art
[0005] In automotive wheel balancing, individual wheel balancing
weights are applied to specific positions of a rim. Basically, two
types of balancing weight are used. The first kind is a balancing
weight which is attached by a clamp, as disclosed in the European
patent EP 1 613 876 B1, while the second kind is fixed by means of
a self-adhesive tape, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,364,421
B1.
[0006] Both kinds of balancing weights are available in a plurality
of sizes, resulting in different weights. When balancing a vehicle
wheel, the correct size of balancing weight is selected and
attached to the rim. Most balancing weights are supplied as bulk
material in boxes, from which the required number of weights is
manually taken.
[0007] This allows for a simple, comparatively cheap supply of
balancing weights. The drawback is that the person who is taking
the weights from the box may take a wrong weight, and therefore a
further step of balancing is required. Furthermore, the process of
taking the weights can hardly be automated. Therefore, other
solutions as disclosed in WO 2008/103651 A1, using a continuous
polymer tape, have been developed. This has the drawback that a
solid balancing weight is significantly more robust and reliable
than these continuous tapes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The embodiments are based on the object of stripping off the
liner from an adhesive tape of balancing weights without damaging
the adhesive tape and further without damaging the metal surface of
the balancing weight. Furthermore, peeling-off should be done
automatically in large volumes for low costs. It should be reliable
without residing fractions of the liner on the adhesive tape.
[0009] In an embodiment, the liner is removed by a stripper wheel
which rotates over the metal surface of the balancing weight, in a
close proximity to be in contact with the liner but not with the
metal surface of the balancing weight. Preferably, the stripper
wheel rotates at a speed similar to the speed of movement of the
balancing weight. Most preferably, the rotation speed of the
stripper wheel is slightly higher than the speed of movement of the
balancing weight.
[0010] It is further preferred, if means for precise guiding of the
balancing weight are provided. This improves reliability and
repeatability of the stripping process and further prevents the
stripper wheel to touch the metal surface of the balancing weight.
Such means for guiding the balancing weight may be a pressure
roller. Such a pressure roller may press the balancing weight
against a surface which is further referred to as pressure plate.
The pressure roller may be a single role or a belt-conveyer-like
assembly having at least one, preferably two pulleys for moving the
belt. Furthermore, an aspirator or a vacuum cleaning device may be
provided for removing the liner from the stripper wheel.
[0011] In a further embodiment, instead of the stripper wheel, a
stripper belt may be used. It may be driven by at least one,
preferably two stripper pulleys. Instead of a wheel or a belt, any
other device having teeth at its outside and rotating with a speed
similar to the speed of movement of the balancing weight may be
used. Preferably, the stripper wheel or stripper pulley has
saw-tooth-like teeth, which are rotating in the direction of
rotation, the direction of movement of the balancing weight.
[0012] In another embodiment, the direction of rotation of the
stripper wheel or stripper pulley may be reversed together with a
reverse order of the teeth, resulting in stripping off the liner
before the stripping wheel or belt.
[0013] It is further preferred, if for supplying balancing weights
to the liner removal unit, a belt conveyer is provided. Such a belt
conveyer may bring up the force to push a balancing weight through
the liner removal unit under the stripper wheel and/or stripper
belt.
[0014] In a further embodiment, a plurality of stripper wheels or
belts may be provided either in parallel and/or one after the
other.
[0015] In a further embodiment, means for adjusting the stripper
wheel or stripper belt in relation to the balancing weight may be
provided. This may compensate for tolerances in the thickness of
the balancing weight. The adjustment may be done by spring loading
the stripper wheel or stripper belt, and therefore asserting a
predetermined force on the balancing weight. An alternative
embodiment would be to use a stripper wheel or stripper belt having
a comparatively broad surface and small teeth on it, whereas the
surface is smoothly lying on the surface of the liner, while the
teeth penetrate into the liner. The surface may also be made of
elastic material to perfectly adapt to deviations in the surface of
the liner. An alternate embodiment would be to couple the stripper
wheel or stripper belt with the pressure roller or at least one of
the pressure pulleys. When a balancing weight with a certain
thickness is guided through the pressure roller 20, the pressure
roller is lifted to height of the balancing weight, also causing
the stripper wheel or stripper belt to be lifted to the same
height. This may be done by some electronic controlling or by
simple mechanical coupling.
[0016] The advantage of the embodiments is that the liner can be
removed reliably. Furthermore, the liner may be removed at
comparatively high speeds. This design allows comparatively small
tolerances of the stripper wheel and/or stripper belt and means for
guiding the balancing weight, which results in a comparatively
small damage of the adhesive tape under the liner. Furthermore, a
damage of the surface of the balancing weight can be completely
avoided. This surface must not be damaged as corrosion may occur,
starting at damaged sections.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] In the following, the invention will be described by way of
example, without limitation of the general inventive concept, on
examples of embodiment and with reference to the drawings.
[0018] FIG. 1 shows a liner removal unit.
[0019] FIG. 2 shows a liner removal unit with a stripper belt.
[0020] FIG. 3 shows a balancing weight.
[0021] FIG. 4 shows an adhesive tape in detail.
[0022] FIG. 5 shows a balancing weight.
[0023] FIG. 6 shows a stripper wheel in a side view.
[0024] FIG. 7 shows a stripper wheel in a front view.
[0025] While the invention is susceptible to various modifications
and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by
way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in
detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and
detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the
invention to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary,
the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and
alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present
invention as defined by the appended claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0026] In FIG. 1, a liner removal unit is shown. For stripping off
the liner 42 of a balancing weight body 41, a stripper wheel 31 is
provided. It is rotating in direction 60 which is the same as the
direction of movement 14 of the balancing weight. The speed of
rotation is similar to the speed of movement of the balancing
weight. Preferably, the speed of rotation is slightly higher. The
stripper wheel has teeth which interact with the liner 41 and 42,
and pull it away from the balancing weight. An aspirator 32 or a
similar vacuum cleaning device further removes the liner 42 from
the stripper wheel 31. To prevent the balancing weight from being
lifted up by slightly sticking to the liner, preferably the
pressure device, almost preferably a pressure roller 20 is
provided. Such a pressure roller may be a single roller. Instead,
here a pressure belt 23 is driven by a pressure pulley 21 and
diverted via auxiliary pulley 22. Here, pressure builds up between
the pressure roller 20 and pressure plate 24. Pressure roller 20
may be used for precision control of the speed of motion of the
balancing weight 40, which therefore can precisely be adapted to
the speed of the stripper wheel 31 or stripper belt 33. Pressure to
the balancing weights may also be asserted by the stripper wheel or
its shaft, which may bend the balancing weight into a desired
radius. The balancing weight is further guided by a sliding surface
51. The balancing weight is fed into the liner removal unit by a
belt conveyer 10 comprising of a belt 11, a conveyer pulley 12, and
a support plate 13.
[0027] FIG. 2 shows a liner removal unit comparable to the unit
shown in the previous FIG. 1. The main difference is that the
stripper wheel 31 is replaced by a stripper belt 33. Here, the
stripper belt 33 has teeth 36, which pull off the liner from the
balancing weight. The stripper belt is moved by two stripper
pulleys 34, 35.
[0028] In FIG. 3, a balancing weight is shown. A balancing weight
body is made of a metal or a metal-plastic composition providing
mass, and therefore taking the function of the weight. For fixing
the balancing weight to a rim, an adhesive tape 43 is provided. For
protection, the adhesive tape is covered by a liner 42 which must
be peeled off before applying the balancing weight to a rim.
[0029] FIG. 4 shows the adhesive tape in detail. The liner 42 is
stiffer than the adhesive tape itself, while the adhesive tape
consists of a comparatively elastic material. When the teeth of the
stripper wheel or stripper belt penetrate through liner 42, they
also penetrate into adhesive tape 43. Due to the elastic nature of
this material, the teeth will make small cuts into this material
instead of lifting the adhesive tape of the balancing weight body
41. The liner 42 which is comparatively stiff, cannot completely be
cut by the teeth, and therefore sticks to the teeth and can be
removed.
[0030] FIG. 5 shows a balancing weight 40 which is divided in a
plurality of sections which can be separated as required.
[0031] In FIG. 6, a stripper wheel with teeth 36 is shown in a side
view.
[0032] In FIG. 7, a stripper wheel is shown in a front view. Here,
a first wheel disk 37 and a second wheel disk 38, both having teeth
36, are connected by a shaft 39 to rotate synchronously. It is
obvious that any other number of wheel disks 37, 38 may be attached
to a stripper wheel. The same applies to stripper belts. The shaft
39 may have a diameter slightly smaller than the wheel disks to
prevent a deeper penetration of the wheel disks into the adhesive
tape.
[0033] It will be appreciated to those skilled in the art having
the benefit of this disclosure that this invention is believed to
provide balancing weights and a method for stripping a liner of an
adhesive tape. Further modifications and alternative embodiments of
various aspects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled
in the art in view of this description. Accordingly, this
description is to be construed as illustrative only and is for the
purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the general manner of
carrying out the invention. It is to be understood that the forms
of the invention shown and described herein are to be taken as the
presently preferred embodiments. Elements and materials may be
substituted for those illustrated and described herein, parts and
processes may be reversed, and certain features of the invention
may be utilized independently, all as would be apparent to one
skilled in the art after having the benefit of this description of
the invention. Changes may be made in the elements described herein
without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as
described in the following claims.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
[0034] 10 belt conveyer 11 belt 12 conveyer pulley 13 support plate
14 direction of movement 20 pressure roller 21 pressure pulley 22
auxiliary pulley 23 pressure belt 24 pressure plate 30 stripper 31
stripper wheel 32 aspirator 33 stripper belt 34, 35 stripper pulley
36 teeth 37, 38 wheel disk 39 shaft 40 balancing weight 41
balancing weight body 42 liner 43 adhesive tape 51 sliding surface
60 direction of rotation
* * * * *